A landing party beams down to Pyrus 7 to survey the surface. The Enterprise loses contact with them, then gets a message from one crewman, Jackson, asking to be beamed up. When they do, he's found frozen dead and a voice speaking through him tells them to leave. Refusing to abandon Sulu and Scotty, Kirk, McCoy, and Spock beam down to encounter witches, castles, a black cat, a warlock, and a sorceress, all determined to have them leave.

Recap

The Enterprise is exploring Pyrus 7 and Scotty, Sulu, and Jackson have beamed down but lost contact. Finally Jackson calls up to the ship and requests beam up, but is otherwise non-responsive. When they beam him up he collapses, dead. A man’s voice emanates from his mouth, telling them that there is curse on the ship and they are all doomed...

Kirk: If we weren't missing two officers--and a third one dead--I'd say someone was playing an elaborate trick or treat.Spock: Trick or treat, Captain?Kirk: Yes, Mr. Spock. You'd be a natural. I'll explain it to you one day.

Sylvia:Enough of this! You will tell us what we want to know!Kirk: It's too late for threats. You let me contact the ship. How long do you think it'll be before a search party arrives?Korob: Some time, Captain... quite some time. (He gestures with his wand, and in a flare of light the Enterprise model is encased in a crystal. Kirk picks up the model and contemplates it.) There will be no search party, Captain Kirk. An impenetrable force field around your ship, Captain. It will not hinder orbit. But your people are prisoners within it.

Korob: This is not over, Sylvia!Sylvia: (ominously) But it may be over soon, old man...

Korob: Here. (Hands Kirk a phaser and communicator) You must go before she finds the weapon is missing!Kirk: I'm not leaving without my men!Korob: They're not your men anymore! They belong to Sylvia. I can no longer control them... or her. She's irrational! The strain of adopting to your form... the insatiable desire for sensation and experience. She's a great danger... and it was not necessary. We could have entered your galaxy in peace.

Episode Goofs

In the final scene, the strings of the puppets used to represent Korob and Sylvia in their true form are clearly visible.

The skeletons in the dungeon clearly show a horizontal line at about forehead level. During autopsy, the medical examiner commonly removes the calvarium (top of the skull) with a bone saw to permit examination of the brain. That process leaves exactly this sort of horizontal line. The property men made no attempt to hide it (with putty or makeup) and it was not erased in the remastered version.

Analysis

What Changed in the Remastered Version
Pyris VII gets a CGI upgrade. A new CGI shot of Korob's entire castle replaces the original scene showing only the tall door; the castle is very nicely done, with box towers, turrets, eerie lighting and an ominously self-opening door. The explosion at the end (when Kirk destroys Korob's wand) was enhanced and the obvious wires (see Goofs) used to operate the Sylvia and Korob puppets have been erased.